We have our first baby due in six weeks (yay!) and I was looking for any advice/experiences in introducing the baby to the dog and vice versa. Our 10 month old FCR is a very big part of our life so it is really important that we get this to work effectively for the family so any help would be fantastic.

Thanks

Baby gates :) It gives you the opportunity to relax and for the pup to say hello without being able to whack baby with a paw.
Don't shut the dog out or exclude him - its easy to do this without realising.
Lots of walks with baby in the push chair also works well.

good luck :)

I was also given the advice to get your OH to bring home a baby grow or blanket etc that the baby has been in so that the dog can have a really good sniff of it before baby comes home, also let your dog say hello to the baby - don't push him away unless he gets too boisterous and maybe just get your OH to hold the dogs collar to keep him a bit calmer.

I am sure all will be fine :D

Good luck with the baby, let us know how it goes ;)

I'm due in October so a little way to go yet!

aww. When baby Emily came home we took her into the kitchen so the dogs  could see her and we could  control the situation, and to satisfy their curiosity of a new 'noise' :) We also let Maddie come in a bit later and let her sniff and lick, very gently mind, Emilys foot. This seemed to satifsy her. We kept them seperated mostly but just once a day let the dogs have a 'look' and I must say they are the most gentle of giants around her :) they will even allow Emily, now 18 months, to 'groom' them which she enjoys more than they do :P :P
Good luck, aww getting maternal now
no!  me too old - rather get a puppy (tic) :P

I have just had a baby he's 4 months old now. baby gates are fantastic and i think are essential as you cant watch baby and dog 24 hours a day. I got all my baby things out and put them around the house so the dogs could get used to it. I then got one of my older daughters dolls and put that in the baby chair etc. it was one that made noises like crying and cooing - i think that helped introduce the dogs to something small making funny noises!
When we brought baby home i let the dog smell him and then took him outside for a play (the dog that is!!) - it was the last thing i felt like doing but seemed to settle him down.
I have had no problems with jealousy but that may be because my day is very structured. When baby is awake and downstairs the dog is with us if i'm in the room but behind a baby gate if i'm buzzing around and not able to watch them both together. Then when baby goes for a nap it's play time or we go for a walk with baby in the pushchair.
I think the hardest thing i foudn was trying to get the dog to walk sensibly with the pushchair and not run in front of it every two minutes and get run over!!!

A gal at work was told to use a baby doll ahead of time to get her two pooches used to her fussing over someone else, carrying it, feeding it, putting it to sleep etc, before the real baby arrived. 

When my youngest daughter was born (12 years ago now ) we had 6 dogs. When we came home from the hospital I went in first and said hello to all the dogs. I sat down and my hubby brought the baby in. She was in her pram. The dogs all went for a sniff and settled down after a few minutes. When the baby cried my hubby went to pick her up and one of my dogs went for him I had to jump between them to stop her. She was very sheepish. ;) My hubby wanted me to have her pts as she was a vicious dog, but I persuaded him that she was only protecting the baby. She spent most of her time at the side of the pram, and my daughter eventually learned to walk using her as a walking frame. A better friend I couldn't have asked for. The other dogs didn't care about this new thing appearing. Your dogs will already have the scent of the baby as being a part of you and it may take a bit of time getting used to the fact that baby is a separate identity. If you are worried I would have somewhere you can put the dog where you both feel comfortable. :)

Thanks for all your help guys, have taken it all on board and will apply it all where appropriate!!

Our FCR is more likely to lick the baby to death than anything else!!

We had two young dogs when I had my baby. The midwives and health visitors advised me to make sure that, well before the birth, they were settled into the routine I'd be following after the birth; if I didn't want them in the bedroom after the baby was born, they shouldn't be allowed in there before, etc, to keep changes to a minimum.

Also to get them used to seeing the baby equipment around - have a good sniff at the pram, the cot, the changing mat etc. Then, while I was in hospital my husband would bring back my nightie and the baby's clothes and let the dogs have a good sniff at them so that it wasn't too strange.

When we brought the baby home I greeted the dogs while the baby was still in the car, so that I could give them my full attention without worrying. The baby was brought indoors in his carrycot and put on the floor while the dogs had a supervised thorough investigation (they were of course fully wormed!), sniffing him all over. Then we all settled down.

The first time he cried they  leapt up as though they'd been stung, wondering what the strange noise was, but that was all. They sat beside me on the sofa when I fed him, or pottered in and out while I changed him - I was told the important thing was to keep us all as a family; not to let the dogs feel pushed out.

It worked brilliantly. :)

Yes that is most important JG. You know, thats how come missie was in rescue. apparently her previous owners had a baby (plus another two toddlers) and apparently missie and the other dog sophie were jealous :( but she's been here 10 years now and has seen babies and toddlers come and go :)  but with time, sense and patience I think dogs and kids are a lovely mix :)

When my eldest was born I was in hospital for 4 days.  I came in first and made a big fuss of the dog as she hadn't seen me for a few days, and husband came in after with the baby and let her have a sniff at him.  My husband was also a bit worried as the dog would get a bit snappy around the pram, but she was also just protecting 'her' baby and used to sleep under his pram during the day (a big coach built thing!).  When 2 other babies were born in quite rapid succession she took it all in her stride.  The only problem we had was that she became so protective of the children we would have to shut her away when people came round as she wouldn't let anyone within a 5 feet radius of any of the boys and she used to get terribly distressed as she couldn't protect them all at once.

Not expecting a baby myself but got a nephew due end of july, im going to be playing a big part in his life so i was deliberating (yikes that a big one 4 me after a 15hr shift) lol about this situation myself as i have 2 gsd's..sister-in-law has lent me her daughters doll, a well known brand that does everything, cries, gurgles, burps, makes sucking noises when dummy is in, have had it now since saturday, have used it for every scenario going that the baby will be involved in, even had OH walking around with it as well :-) .at first like others have said they obviously took an interest but now 4days on they aint that bothered, they come and have a look when she cries, thats about it..so going to carry on with this, then when little un is here goin to put one of his baby gros on it...its quite funny, especially when u have guests and your walking around with a doll..im sure they think ive lost me marbles...not that i had many in the first place...lol

Lucky you JG having understanding midwives/health visitor! All i got from mine when she came round after dd was born was 'keep that dog away from that baby incase he bites' He was a GSD of 8 years old and was in no hurry to bite anybody, I think she was just scared of him as she wouldn't come in unless he was securely in the garden :rolleyes:
We too let Max investigate Sophie on the floor whilst in her car seat... He was really good and wasn't that bothered by her. It turned into a really close relationship till eventually he passed away when Sophie was 5.5 She was very upset. But he is in a better place now :-)

I forgot about the midwife Mine thought that we had too many dogs. How can 6 be too many? ;) Her words were along the lines of "You will be getting rid of those now you have a baby in the house won't you?" Wonder why she never came back? :D

My freind had her son and daugher in law and offspring living with ehr, and when the second child was born that is what the Midwife said to my freind and ehr DIL

Now this little girl was cared for by her Nan and her Golden and my Elkhounds were daily visitors.  She was the genlest baby I ahve ever met.  she never ever pulled or poked at any of the dogs,a nd was a very touchy feely child stroking the dogs and people with fascination.

She still is a very cerebral child, and very gentle natured.  She is now 10 years old, (her older sister was a classmate of my son and is nearly 15).  Sadly their Dad died last year at age 34 from a brain heamorage.

Had the same reaction when my son was born to by BSD (Groenendael) she looked at her and me with utter contempt, and made me shut her in the garden.